Rebecca's World

May 2010 Stapleton Family Review :P

2010-07-14T08:25:00.007-04:00

May was a great month with of course my Sweet Kaiya's 4th birthday and just enjoying the beautiful weather in an impomptu picnic that turned into a wrestling, goose changing, bug explorations, and running as far as they could! Such a great day! Then the Egg Hunt at Mom and Dad's thh kids were so fast that Em and I had touble getting the kids without flurry flying bys, it was great! Then me and the ladies taking in a break with some salad.... they were near me ... because hey love salad...more then me :P The end is Cassie posing with some of her faves, Tinkerbell, DJ Lance Rocks and Princess Tiana <3 Great month, I hope these are in order, i get confused easy :P so if they, just read in reverse!

April 2010 Summary of the Stapleton Family

2010-07-13T10:04:00.026-04:00

April Was a fun filled and crazy month. I will start going through the pictures and list the general desciption of them:) It starts with the Papa coming down in his new Ford Focus and alos bring the girls Easter gitsts, the were retty excited! Then early the next morning, we took off for the ODU Easter Egg Hunt which was cold but fun! Then the Westerville Rec Center Hallaballo! Loads of fun! Then my sweet Kaiya got sent to Children's Hospital due to a extremely high fever 104-106 that we could not get down, turns out my little one has phenomia and was given several IV antibotics and we were sent home with some too:( That next morningMiss Cassie got her cast off and was excellent throughout the whole procedure and her arm healed perfectly. Thank you God! Then Preston, I and the girls did some egg decorating and it was fun and messy all at the sametime! Cassie then found her new hot spot, she ate all meals there for about a month, its out little tikes diner we have.... so funny! Then finally, we have the girls posing, laughing and dancing in their beautiful Easter dresses from Preston's Mom. Great Month!!!!!

Wow.... I have written nothing since MARCH..... looks like its time to update

2010-07-13T09:52:00.004-04:00

We have been so busy! :P

I think what I will do is summarize each month at a time:)
It will be backwards from April to mid-July, so read back to front to back if you want to go chronalogicy. This is is gonna take ome time, but summaries are better then nothing!

Please also ignore the typos, my carpel tunne has been so evil to me I cant type well...

Tiny dancers:)

2010-03-04T10:30:00.004-05:00

I just love how much they love to dance!

Valetines day before Valentines day!

2010-03-04T10:22:00.009-05:00

Friday before Valentines was the kids valentines day! What a great time it was, the girls got gifts in the mail from their Nana (Preston's Mom) that were teddy bears and boxes of chocolate! They were thrilled! Then we went over to grandma's to have a valentines day party and get valentines and even gifties from GiGi and Mom! How fun, they even got to decorate cookies:) Messy but fun:)

Who knew???

2010-03-04T10:20:00.004-05:00

That carpet cleaning could be so fun for the girls!!! They LOVED it... they thought having the furniture in the kitchen was the best thing ever!!

The day of the break! (Valentines Day)

2010-03-04T10:14:00.005-05:00

The Daredevil!

The Slide

The Wait

The treatment

The Patient rest at home.... finally

It was one of the longest days of our lives. Cassie wound up with a compound fracture of the radius and a fracture on the ulna in her right arm. She was amazing through everything and was such an amazing little patient! A Velntines Day to never forget for sure!

Fun at World of Bounce (for 30 minutes anyway!) :)

2010-03-04T10:03:00.006-05:00

The pink cast...

2010-03-04T09:55:00.009-05:00

It has been interesting the past few weeks learning how to care for a little 2 year old with a broken arm and a NON water proof cast:) She has been great about it, only seeming to be bothered when she is trying to get comfortable sleeping and tubby time, which is still a disaster... havent masters that one yet other then a quick sink tubby! But she sure as heck is cute!

Happy 34th Birthday Daddy!

2010-03-04T09:51:00.003-05:00

Even though it was just pizza and cupcakes, it sure was fun to make it all together with the girls! He loved it and that is the best part!

The beautiful Baumer babes!

2010-03-04T09:45:00.003-05:00

What a treat to get to see the babes again! Kaiya got to hold both babies and was loving it. Amber is such a natural with those two it is amazing! What a hot Mama and doing a great job with those loves!

Snow pictures from January and February!

2010-03-04T09:36:00.010-05:00

This is the snowiest season I have ever seen here in Ohio! Thank goodness the girls like it, so we could take them out in it as much as possible! We even went big time sledding... no pics of that because we were worried we would break the camera on the way down! But we are doing our best to enjoy this winter!!

Sleeping Beauties...

2010-03-04T09:35:00.001-05:00

Well, one princess anyway:)

The Golden Dress....

2010-03-04T09:32:00.001-05:00

Boy Kaiya was happy when Aunt Emy let her borrow the much coveted golden dress that belongs to Hannah! Hanni was at her Daddy's and Em let Kaiya borrow the dress for the night, she was quite pleased!

Pretty ladies!

2010-03-04T09:30:00.002-05:00

A cought them standing together for a split second and then they were off running and dancing again! I love these sweet little dresses!

Fish Playdate.... and Max makes 10!

2010-03-04T09:26:00.004-05:00

What a fun and wild playdate 4 adults and TEN childrens, mostly toddlers and 2 babies! It sure was a blast but we could barely get around the house between all the toys and all the little people roaming around:)

Random pictures on my camera that appear after I am work...

2010-03-04T09:21:00.005-05:00

Fun with Em, Amber and Jessi!

2010-03-04T09:18:00.005-05:00

What a fun and crazy day! We got to visit with AMber and her beautiful twin girls, Emma and Lucy and then we had my sweet JEssi come over with her Taylor! So that made 4 adults and 8 kids! We handled it like a pro no doubt!

Taking advantage of the one warm day this winter!

2010-03-04T09:13:00.003-05:00

We broke out the Quads the girls got from my parents for Christmas... they loved riding them around the neighborhood... but most of all they loved riding them down steep drive ways! They must get that from their Daddy!

Happy Birthday Papa!

2010-03-04T09:12:00.001-05:00

As you can see, we had Papa down for a little birthday party in January! The girls decided the best way to go was to celebrate in their birthday suits!

Making the best out of a rainy day!

2010-03-04T09:07:00.003-05:00

The girls were absolute stir crazy one rainy Sunday... I went to lay down and Preston decided to take them outside for some fun in the rain! Daddy's are so much coller than Mommies! :P

Welcome baby Skye!

2010-03-04T09:04:00.002-05:00

I know it is late, way late! But My beautiful best friend Rochelle gave birth to a happy healthy little girl. She is adorable in everyway and already growning like a weed! I am seeing her today and I cannot wait:) Congrats Rochelle and Brian... she has laready got you both wrapped around her little finger!

Dancing Divas!

2010-03-04T08:59:00.002-05:00

Man these kids love to dance! Cassie especially, she cannot hear a beat with out her little tush shaking! It is so adorable:)

I NEEEEED TO UPDATE!

2010-03-01T13:08:00.001-05:00

Big time! I cannot believe my last post was in December :P I will attempt to start piecing together the past 2 months tonight:) Lots of great memories already!

Making the most out of the season:P

2010-01-10T22:09:00.012-05:00

In true Grizwald tradition, Preston and I first decorated the house, inside and out and then started it offnwith the Easton tree lighting! Here are some pice from visiting the live reindeer, strolling around the giant Easton Chrisrmas tree, trying to take family pictures, meeting Santa and taking pics with him, getting lucky enough to get to see Amber and the little ladies, Emma and Lucy and she also brought CiCi!!!!! We were s excited and had a blast, going to the Alum Creeks Festival of Lights (Preston and I met Em and the kids and we all got in the van:)3 adults and 5 little UNRESTAINED children... all of which either bit hit or scratched one another, but Autty was so in love with Preston and hold the wheel, had some chinese food on Cristmas and fun with my Mom, Dad, GiGi, Emy, Pbone and the girls.

Stapleton Family Christmas

2009-12-20T17:02:00.008-05:00

Well, we braved the weather yesterday and logged 6 hours in the car in one day:) But we had so much fun with everyone. We celebrated with Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Doug, Papa, Connie, Taylur and William. The girls got beyond spoiled... they had a sea of gifts and they LOVED every moment! Thanks for such a nice get together guys!

Cookies with Christi and Nina:)

2009-12-20T16:52:00.007-05:00

So, the girls and I headed down the street to our neighbors Christi and Nina (who is 3)house to make some cookies together... it was such a messy and fun time. Christi is not only a great cook, but she had so many fun ways for the girls to help and really make stuff on their own! There were two "Sprinkle Incidents"... but it was great and as soon as they had a few cookies (and about 20 licks of frosting) they were officially bouncing of the wall! Nina, Kaiya and Cassie went nuts at Christi's for about 30 mins and I then took them home so nothing got broken at their place:P We left with an huge tray of cookies and great memories! Thanks again Christi!

Attemped pictures of the Fab Five... EPIC FAILURE

2009-12-20T16:44:00.006-05:00

So, Em and I dressed all the kids up in the holidat finery to get hopefully one of two picstures of them together with them all looking at the camera and maybe even smiling.... not only did we not get any of all five of them, but the time everyone was leaving 3 of the 5 were sobbing and 1 was hiding... what we exepcted:P

Taking the girls pictures in their Christmas Dresses and dancing!

2009-12-20T16:38:00.006-05:00

So I wanted to take some pics of the girls in their dresses together because the dresses are so pretty and they could always be ruined at a moments notice:P SO I took some pics of them together and then just told them to go crazy! And they danced and danced, the pics were not easy to capture because teir was so much motion, but I got a few!

Happy Hanakkah All!

2009-12-20T16:31:00.006-05:00

We had such a nice Hanakkah party at Mom's and celebrated with all the kiddos, Mom, Dad, Ems and Gigi. All five of the kids got great gifts and spent the afternoon playing happily with them all! Thanks for a great time!

Hey Owl girls...

2009-12-20T16:29:00.003-05:00

Remember the night you got to find out who your active was and you had to follow the string all over the house... well, the girls re-enacted that for us the other night, thanks Preston for giving them the ribbon! :P

Nothing better...

2009-12-20T16:26:00.002-05:00

then getting fall asleep with a sweet baby in your arms. We fell asleep together the other night and Preston got us together, it was so wonderful. The girls never sleep in our bed so this was a rare treat for me:)

Modeling my new slippers....

2009-12-20T16:24:00.001-05:00

.... Miss Cassie Lynn:P

Crafts and Nudity....

2009-12-20T16:21:00.003-05:00

Cassie is a "nakeybutt" as we say, but sometimes, it just seems funnier than others. She just cracked me up sitting there at the table naked:P Kaiya was having a ball cutting stuff out and of course stealing kisses from her Daddy!

Poor Lousch

2009-12-20T16:18:00.002-05:00

Nuff Said....

Winter Reality Check

2009-12-20T16:11:00.004-05:00

So the girls wanted to go the the "Castle Playground"... AKA Planet Westerville... so Preston and got them all bundled up and ready for some cold... we were there 5 minutes and both the girls were frozen solid (we should have taken the empty playground as a hint!) so we moved the party inside to McDs playplace.... no more outside for a while:(

Living in a box :P

2009-12-20T16:07:00.002-05:00

What is more fun then getting a delivery from the Disney Store??? Getting the box! Kaiya was in it most of the day and as you can tell was not pleased when Cassie decided to come play!

Twister reality...

2009-12-20T16:05:00.001-05:00

One of Kaiyas favorite movies is Twister... so she and Cass thought it would be fun to act like the living room was hit by a "nado"... and they sure dd a heck of a job:P Surprisingly, the Red Cross did not offer us any help! :P

Devaney Thanksgiving

2009-12-20T15:58:00.005-05:00

We had such a lovely day at Mom and Dads with Preston and Em all the kiddos together. Gigi could not make it because she had broken her ribs a while back and felt bad, so she was missed, but we sure had a nice time all together!

Thanksgiving in Ashland

2009-11-24T12:15:00.004-05:00

It was a fun day, we headed up to Ashland to see Preston's sister, Papa and family:) The girls love their Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Doug and had a blast with their cousins Connie, William and Taylur! They got to sit at their first kid table... hee hee:) Too cute. Thanks for a nice day everyone!

The Easton Christmas Tree lighting

2009-11-24T12:08:00.007-05:00

What a great night. Preston and I met up on Friday night at Easton to watch the tree lighting ceremony and the show that came with it. It was so neet, there were Christmas characters, juggling, stilt walkers, carolers... all sorts of fun stuff the girls loved it and when everything lit up... it was great! Great family outing!

The Elves...

2009-11-24T12:02:00.004-05:00

We have now finished decorating the house. The girls loved being a part of it this year. It has been somewhat hard because Cassie thinks the candle lights in the windows and microphones and they end of missing and each day the tree has all the ornamnets rearranged into one small spot on the bottom of the tree. It does make me laugh though! The outside is almost done and looks so pretty. I will get a picture tonight when it is dark:) Merry Christmas Season from the Griswalds!

The praying mantis visits again...

2009-11-24T11:57:00.004-05:00

This darn parying mantis keeps coming to visit us. I get nervous when I see one because each time I have.... I have gotten pregnant... I know it sounds dumb, but it is true. Thank goodness... I dont think this one is for me! I think it is for Timika, my sweet friend that is pregnant and already has had some scares.. I think he is coming back again and again for her! To remind me that things will be ok. Weird I know.... but the girls think he is fabulous!

The Leaf Dweller...

2009-11-24T11:52:00.001-05:00

Leaves have more than likely been Cassie's favorite part of fall... she was pretty bummed when we bagged them up and took them to the compost pile! Now if she even sees 3 or 4 together she yells leaf pile and jumps on them:)

Catch of the day!

2009-11-03T10:01:00.000-05:00

Trick or treating:)

2009-11-03T09:52:00.007-05:00

Our lucky kiddos got to go trick or treating on Thursday and Saturday night! They all had a blast... unfortunately, Cassie got sick right after trick or treating Thursday and is still having some issues (doc today). But all the kids looked adorable and everyone had fun... although poor Autty was not pleased with his Pokie Little Puppy costume... poor little puppy:P

8 Years and Counting!

2009-11-03T09:48:00.003-05:00

Preston and I celebrated our 8th anniversary by going to Old Mans Cave. Thanks to my Mom for watching the kids, we got to get away for a night. We had a blast, went hiking, slept in, played around in the hot tub, made a fire and just did nothing! It was perfect!

Fun in the leaves!

2009-11-03T09:44:00.004-05:00

Preston made the girls a great pile of leaves last week and they were thrilled! As you can see by the pictures! Fall is my favorite season:)

Kaiya got a big girl bed:)

2009-11-03T09:38:00.002-05:00

Miss Kaiya is officially sleeping in her big girl bed:) We let her pick out the theme and she wanted Barbie, so that is what it is:) She is actually sleeping in it all night and we have not had any middle of the night visits... YET!

Fun at Freeman's Farm:)

2009-11-03T09:27:00.009-05:00

For Mom's birthday we decided to gather up the kiddos and head to Freemans Farm in Lewis Center, it was a blast and the kids loved it. Great pictures, lots to do and silliness! It was a perfect fall day as well:)

The many faces of Kaiya:) Adorable, goofy, sweet:)

2009-11-03T09:17:00.004-05:00

Many faces of Cassie :P Funny, silly, beautiful!

2009-11-03T09:09:00.004-05:00

Some patching success!

2009-11-03T09:04:00.002-05:00

Preston and I have been trying harder than ever to get Kaiyas eye to get some sight back. We only have a window of a year and a half before the eye will shut off for good. It is a struggle everytime and she is always upset because she said she cannot see... which is pretty true, but after a while she can get distracted enough to keep it on for a while... this is her kitty patch:) Prayers for stregnth going up everyday for this little sweetie:)

A family that plays together... stays together:)

2009-10-06T10:02:00.005-04:00

Here are some fun pics of Em, Preston, me and the kiddos before the Chili Cook-off... I did not manage to get any pics during the party, that was ok, I had to much fun chatting and hanging with our friends! Thanks Em for all your help that night... you are a SUPER MOM!

Fall is finally here!

2009-10-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

I love the fall and I love the chilly weather.... but the girls, who are used to going outside with a diaper or no clothes at all did not believe me about the tempreture, so I let them go out and they came hauling back in for some warm gear! I love these outfits because they were so thrown together and it was the first time for the boots:)

The girls new place to hang :)

2009-10-06T09:57:00.001-04:00

The back seat of my car....

My two plumbers:P

2009-10-06T09:56:00.002-04:00

Well from my view anyway:)

Curious sleeping spots:P

2009-10-06T09:50:00.004-04:00

Cassie seem to just find a spot and drop, here are just a few of my sleeping beauty!

The many faces of Cassie...

2009-10-06T09:32:00.009-04:00

Cassie has become so expressive lately.... she seems to have the attitude of a sullen teenager as well as the temper of a cranky senior!!!

World Of Bounce....

2009-10-06T09:20:00.007-04:00

Well... it simply ROCKS:) Thanks Camden for such a fun bday party!

Lovey Cheerleaders:)

2009-10-06T09:15:00.001-04:00

So have been watching Bring it On every freakin day! They love their buckeye cheerleading outfits... I actually have to deal with big time temper tantrums when I attempt to take them off!

Sick babies are soooo pitiful:(

2009-09-17T19:32:00.003-04:00

The dress up is escalating!

2009-09-17T19:29:00.001-04:00

The pics say it all...

September 11th

2009-09-17T19:26:00.002-04:00

I still cannot believe it has been 8 years since this tragic event. But as much as it has changed all of our lives, it has brought some of the best in people and has produced many heros. We decided to break out the red, white and blue to show our support for those who lost their lives that day, have lost them battling for our freedom and those who have and continue to protect our country with out a second thought! God Bless America and God Bless our troops!

So Kaiya was sick on Saturday...

2009-09-17T19:23:00.002-04:00

So Cassie decided to play with all the toys at the same time and even transport them around the house.... it was a rare oppurtunity for her to play without anything getting taken from her:) Of course representing her team at the same time. Win or Lose we love our Buckeyes!!!

Craft time at Aunt Boo Boo's

2009-09-17T19:18:00.003-04:00

For the first time we sat all FIVE kiddos around the table and let them make some pumpkin crafts! It was Austins first time and he was pretty pleased to be involved.. although he was not totally sure if the items were crafts or food... after a taste test, he decided they were crafts and had a ball! Everyone made a great pumpkin magnet:) CCAD here we come:)

Airborn......

2009-09-17T19:13:00.002-04:00

Before Charlie's bday party, the girls decided they wanted to wear little pettycoats under their outfits, so I of course found one for each lady and slipped them on... and naturally, they took to the couch (one of their new favorite places, sans pillows of course!) and wanted to have their skirts bounce with them! I was lucky enough to catch each lady off in the air:)

What a nice night celebrating Char Char's 3rd Birthday!

2009-09-17T19:05:00.004-04:00

Nothing better then a night with the family to celebrate my sweet nephews 3rd birthday. We gathered at GiGis and had a great night (minus my daughter having a meltdown!). Charlie loved his cake and his presents! One of the things he got was a Cars bedspread for his room at Grandmas and Em put it on his bed and he said... "This is Charlie's room for sure, a boys room with cars" :P too cute! Thanks for letting us be a part of his birthday Em, you threw him such a nice, sweet party. It was perfect!

When all else fails...

2009-09-17T19:04:00.000-04:00

Let them play with make-up!

This is what happens when you cannot get your toddler out of her carseat...

2009-09-17T19:02:00.001-04:00

Oh... so many Weddings :)

2009-09-09T17:49:00.006-04:00

It was a lovely day for a wedding! So we sprinkled all the white pedals to make an isle and the brides just kept coming! Hannah (Tinkerbell Bride), Kaiya (Snow White Bride) and Cassie (the Wiggles Bride). With their fabulous bouquets from Nicole and flower pedals.... it was quite the occasion!

Such a goofball! When Cassie is on... she is ON:P

2009-09-09T17:47:00.001-04:00

Now this is a power nap!

2009-09-09T17:42:00.002-04:00

Cassie seems to have inherited my talent for sleeping! Whether she is asleep in full majorette gear or sleeping sitting up... she can sleep! God bless her:)

Nicole, the girls fairy bride mother :)

2009-09-09T17:31:00.008-04:00

I was thrilled when Nicole agreed to come over the day after her Wedding to surprise the girls with their very own brial bouquets, cupcakes, pedals and monogramed chocolate bars. The girls were dressed and ready for the event! And they just loved it. Nicole, I cannot thank you enough for making my girls so happy... they have talked about it everyday since and we had several weddings yesterday once Hanni got to get in on the action! Nicole was nice enough to give Hannah her actual bridal bouquet that she walked down the isle with... Hannah was thrilled! Those pics are coming!

The girls seem to be going through a tiny dress-up phase....

2009-09-02T11:26:00.006-04:00

Or maybe a HUGE dress-up phase!!! Old dance costumes - CHECK, butterfly/fairy wings - CHECK, dresses shoes - CHECK, tutus - CHECK... what else could a little girl want! Hanni, Kaiya and Cassie have been having an absolute blast in all the dress up stuff we have. I have tons of stuff from the baton, dance and pageant days and I have hoarded quite the collection of little girl princess dresses - thanks to Once Upon a Child! Kaiya and Hanni are currently wearing dresses everyday... Cassie only occasionally... here are just a few samples!

I love me some babies! And there are lots to love!! :)

2009-09-02T11:17:00.006-04:00

Look at these teeny tiny beauties! AMber and Josh were nice enough to let me, Kaiya and Cass invade their house for another visit with Lucy and Emma. We also got to meet Butch and Scout, Amber and Josh's dogs that were kinda nervous around my two wackos! But it was lovely... other then Cassie and Kaiya trying to break the girls swings and Kaiya knocking Cassie flat on her back off the ottomen onto hardwood floor!!! Amber and Josh were so gracious and lovely to have us and never even gave me a second look for my two loonies:) I got the pleasure of feeding Lucy and feeling such a tiny baby in my arms again - it was so sweet! Amber and Josh already look like naturals rangling their sweet little newborns! Thank you for having us guys!

Ahhhh... Bryn, such a doll baby! She was just too adorable and had an entire group of admirers and helpers! Thank you Carrie for such a lovely visit... even with 3 adults and 8 kids... we still had time to talk and of course ooohh and ahhh over baby Bryn!

From Forest Green to Clear Blue Sky...

2009-09-02T11:12:00.003-04:00

In an early post, I said I would show you the before and after pics of our bathroom... here they are! I think it is a huge improvement!

An Honor and a Priveledge:) The Heart Walk 2009

2009-08-22T12:55:00.008-04:00

What a lovely day to celebrate Duncan's life and legacy! As fate would have it, it was supposed to rain, but the skies just above downtown Columbus turned blue:) We all donned our shirts and were honored to walk in Duncan's memory. Thank you so much for all the people that made donations to the Heart Association in Duncan's honor and thank you so much to out team that made it out to downtwon Columbus before 9AM! Most with several kids in tow! My teammates include Emily Devaney Replogle, Carli Amlin Dean, Helene Mundrick Wirth, Jenni Alspaugh Smith, Lisa Hall, Tiffany Compan McCallen, Audria Stout Reed and Jessica Beyer Fry. And all the kiddos that made the walk, Gabe, Savannah, Hannah, Charlie, Austin, Kaiya, Cassie, Noah, Taylor and Olivia! Special shout outs to some of our team members that could not make it - Amber Casper Baumer, Lizz Caton, Tricia Johnson Arthur, Kat Whittman and Sherri Slagle Ebert, all of whom made donations to the team:) Shout out also to Brianne Stewart Harman who works for the American Heart Association and is an honory team member. Most importantly, thank you to Duncan for touching all of our lives and making us better people. We are thankful for you even though your time on earth was short... your legacy will always continue.

Happy 3rd Birthday Braylen!

2009-08-19T18:07:00.011-04:00

What a nice way to spend a Saturday night:) Boog threw such a nice party for Brabbles, complete with leis, grass skirts, flowers, a pinata and lots of great freinds and food! The girls had an absolute blast and thought the party was "great fun at night" as Kaiya put it! Thanks for having us Sean, Boog and Bray. It was a great night!

The next day, Kaiya was still feeling the party vibe... hula away my dear!

Painting the bathroom... with help

2009-08-19T18:02:00.005-04:00

Ever since the day I wanted to paint the bathroom green, I have hated it. It did not come out at all like Preston and I had thought. SO! 7 years later, we decided to do something about it. It also had Ivy border, but we had taken that down because it never stayed up great since we put it up. We are almost done painting the bathroom a color called "Clear Blue Sky" and I love it already. One more coat and we will have "after pictures".... but in the mean time, Cassie and Kaiya thought it was a family project.... so we let them help a little and soon realized we were pretty dumb:) So we let them paint and then waited until they went to bed to finish the primer. Cassie still has primer in her hair and this was Sunday:P

The "twins" :P

2009-08-19T17:57:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I left for a doctor's appointment the other day and when I came home, Emily and the kids were over and Hanni and Kaiya had transformed themselves (with Em's help) in to twin sisters! Even the hair is the exact same and they were making twin craft projects:P I think they were excited because of all the talk of Amber's twinsies:)

What a NICE day:) Meeting Lucy and Emma

2009-08-12T16:39:00.008-04:00

Today I got the privelidge of meeting Amber and Josh's twin daughters Emma and Lucy. I went to see them at Riverside and I was smitten immediately. Not to mention Amber and Josh. The room felt so joyous and loving. Both babies were there and needed no assistance when they were born. You should have seen Josh and Amber handling these teeny little ladies like that had done it all their life. I got to hold both girls and heard a lot of their already different personalities. I absolutely love listening to a new mother talking about her newborn. It is just so adoring and pure. I always say that children and proof that God exists and you could feel that entirely in the room. I left the room with an overwhelming sense of happiness that reminded me of giving birth to Kaiya and Cassie and the total wonderment of taking in the fact that you have had a child or children. No matter how many babies and families I visit, it never gets old. Amber has always had a special place in my heart because we are both infertility survivors and both had success with the same protocal and doctor. And then upon finding out she was having twins, I prayed for each milestone, 12 weeks, then 18, then 20 then 24... you get the idea and now that they are here it makes the world just that much sweeter. The fact that Em and I are twins made me so happy for the girls as well, at age 33 Emily is my best friend and it has been that way and will continue to be no matter what. These little girls are double blessed by parents who wanted them and waited for them so long and also to have each other!

I still cannot believe the fact that she carried these babies until 38 weeks and was one of the most laid back pregnant gals I have ever come in contact with. Amber, thank you for including me as well as so many others in your amazing journey. So many people feel a part of these girls lives and they are only 2 days old:)

Here are some pictures of the little ladies. Emma was in a solid pink onsie with a money on it, wrapped in a yellow blanket and Lucy was in a pink onsie with brown polka dots and wrapped in a pink blanket.

Miss Lucy Ellison Baumer

Miss Emma Harper Baumer

Lucky me getting to hold the ladies

And finally... the Baumer family all together, Josh, Amber, Emma and Lucy!!!

Not our day... again!

2009-08-07T12:57:00.002-04:00

We thought that we had our fill of family issues, injuries, car problems and things in the house breaking.... Boy were we wrong. I am feeling almost feverish at this point because of how many different things are not going right in my life and my families life. Sometimes I almost feel like I am being strangled... but I am still trying to breath. This past week has been very hard on me. Things are not right at all with me and my sister and Mom. We cannot seem to get it right no matter what we do... everytime I try to explain my feelings on things, I wind up making someone mad or hurt, so my only other option is to retreat. I am feeling very alone because of it and was so stressed last night that I had two broken blood vessels in my eyes and a headache that has continued since Monday. Preston and I sat outside for a bit and talked to our neighbors last night for a good hour, it was relaxing and very nice to talk about random stuff that did not effect me much. We came inside... Cass was already in bed since she was asleep at 7 and we were getting ready to put Kaiya to bed when Preston all of a sudden tripped and compound fractured his baby toe. It was at a 90 degree angle. We knew it was broken for sure and since it was 9pm, we knew urgent care would not be open, so he had to go the ER. They got the toy back in place and fixed him last night, but now all of his paperwork is missing, he lost it somewhere between being discharged and coming home. He lost his discharge work, his xrays and his presciption... so now he has nothing and has to go our family doctor today because of all of it. We were able to get his xrays at least from the hospital. Then this morning after Columbus Gas came to check our hot water heater... we found out it likey has to be replaced, $650 at least. Not to mention a new hospital bill coming our way... we still are paying on two others with a WAY to go, *sigh*. From last July to now we have lost two pregnancies, broken 3 bones, had 4 ER visits, one hospital stay and countless testing... so countless bills, not to mention probably 15 visits to the pediatrician. One the consumer side: we have had to fix both cars, Preston's transmission went and both cars had to have batteries replaced and my car had the step board on the drivers side completely fell off. We had a toilet break up stairs flooding our entire living room and ruining the ceiling perminently as well as out fire and carbon detectors and carpet upstairs, we have had our dishwasher break, our sink disposal and our fridge died completely and had to be replaced. We also had our garage door break 3 seperate times and just had to pay for most of it to be replaced.

It is hard to feel like I am not in a tailspin but that is what I feel like. Believe me, I know other people have it a lot worse... but our issues feel so constant and endless. The thing with my family is the hardest. I just feel lost and angry. When I talk to my Mom or sister, the stuff I say never comes out the way I intend and I feel worse everytime we talk. So I guess it is good that we are going away tomorrow for Williams birthday in Austintown. I think a change of scenery might be good.

I cant seem to grab the reins in life at this point... so I think I will just stand still.

Sorry for the downer, bitchfest... kist wanted to get this out. It explains a lot of my actions lately, but I am afriad of what is coming next.

Born to dance:)

2009-07-29T17:43:00.003-04:00

I tell you, these kiddos of mine LOVE to dance... they start spinning around and shaking their booties everytime they hear a beat! We are hopefully going to be able to get them both into a dance class this fall! I am so exicted to see how hey do!!!

Bizarro virus... finally figured out

2009-07-29T17:29:00.003-04:00

Well, both girls are officially done with the totally bizarre virus that hit them each for a week at a time. But we did get some mysteries solved... somewhat startling!

Flashback to the day after I gave birth to Kaiya. I had developed a pretty bad infection due to the fact that my water had been broken for about 24 hours before they began pitocin. So, I got antibiotics in my IV that day and the next. Then a nurse walks in and says she has a Rubella shot. So I figured it was for Kaiya... but they said it was for me.... Appearently I had some traces of Rubella (german measles) in my blood... so weird, so I got the shot and that was that! Anyway... flash foward three years:

Kaiya got sick and was down for the count for 8 days, very high fevers for her twice at 105, and then about 4 days in she developed a rash all over her body that got worse for days and finally went away, Cassie had gotten ill as well about 3 days into Kaiya's sickness and had what seemed to be the exact same symptoms, except Cassie's rash seemed some how different then Kaiya's as well as her fevers had not been as high as Kaiya's. So after to trips to the doctor and a few tests we discovered that Kaiya had actually did have Rubella and oddly enough, Cassie did not, she had a strain of the Roseola virus. Appearently even the MMR vaccine could not protect Kaiya since I had it in my blood stream when I had her and they did not know for how long. Since getting the shot for it in the hospital, that protected Cassie from getting it as well.

I think between my girls crazy illnesses, my reDONKulous injuries, viruses, reprodcutive and miscarrying issues and Preston's stomach stuff... we could be a medical journal:) Well=>

The best news is that everyone is healthy now, Preston's stomach has been calm and my ankle fracture is healed! Now I am off to knock on wood, throw some salt and avoid black cats! :P

Easton's secrets:)

2009-07-29T17:14:00.008-04:00

Feeling terribly couped up the girls, Preston and I decided to hit Easton for a quick walk. We brought bathing suits in case the girls were interested in the foutains:) Not only did they have a ball at the fountains, it was random acts of kindness day at Easton, the girls each enjoyed their very own ice cream as well juice for FREE:) And then they closed one of the streets and dumped sidewalk chalk everywhere... there were professional artists, as well as invitations for the families to join in! We werent shy:) Here are some pics:)

Having a ball at the fountains:)

Family chalk drawing:)

Leaving our mark:P

Update on Kaiya's vision. Not what we were hoping for:(

2009-07-24T11:35:00.002-04:00

Well, Preston and I took Kaiya to Children's for her eye appointment yesterday and were excited because we finally got her to wear her glasses consistantly. Well... we were shocked when the assistant starting testing her with letter and picture matching.... she looked concerned and stopped her test early and we waited to see Dr. McGregor. She came in and did a ton of different tests on Kaiya and she was getting everything wrong with her bad eye, even with her glasses on. So, Dr. McGregor gave us the news that Kaiya has lost all vision in her left eye. She is legally blind as of this point. Preston and I were devastated to hear this. She is considered "visually impaired". We have one hope for correction and it is not a definite, it is 50/50 at best. But we must start patching her good eye to force the bad eye to try to work. We have until the age of 5 for possible correction, but the eye is so bad now, that she is not certain it will work even if we patch her all the time, which so far is not working. Kaiya is headstrong by every measure not to mention extremely manipulative. So to say patching her is a challenge is a major understatment. We are going to do everything we can to try to restore her sight but it will be a battle to the finish just as her glasses were for an entire year. The hardest part for me is the thought of putting her through all this and it not working. If it does not work, she will never have sight in that eye again, there is no surgical fix... all there is is a surgery to make her eyes "look" normal.

Thanks already for all the prayers, words of encourement and good thoughts. We appreciate it a ton and we will work hard to get through this, just like we did with the glasses!

MAJOR BLOG SLACKER! Here are some updates:)

2009-07-22T17:28:00.011-04:00

I know i know:) Well, it has been super busy lately, Em and I have been in full swing working on the Heart Walk and trying to get as many people involved as possible! Here is the link if anyone needs it.... I know you are probably so tired of hearing about it... but it is important to lot of people:)
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=294673&lis=1&kntae294673=C51E7DD77EA14021A353DA9E656FC5A1&supId=81000655

And then Kaiya, then me, now Cass have beem sick:( Some random virus that seems pretty mean:( I have felt lousy, but the girls were a disaster:( Puking and record high fevers for this house! I took a few pics on my phone of them... I am trying to get them onto the 'puter as we speak!

Here is Cass earlier today.. with some help from Louschus

Here is Kaiya on Sunday:

We have also officially gotten a new fishy! They did not have any goldfish??? Which I thought was nuts! So we got a black and blue beta fish that Kaiya named Barry:P Here we are going to get the fishy... Hanni in tow as always with fish outings!

This is Barry.... playing dead - Kaiya keeps asking if he is "broken" :P

We have playgrounded it, playdated, cooked out and had fun as many times as possible as well:)

I got to meet Carrie Fish's new baby, beautiful Bryn... she was so adorable!!! And I need to meet some other of the new additions!!! New Mommies... just give me a time... as soon as this virus passes!!!

Not to mention this freakin broken ankle!!! I have ONE MORE WEEK until the cast comes off!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

Happy Birthday 2nd my sweet surprise blessing - CASSIE!

2009-07-16T08:45:00.005-04:00

I cannot believe you are 2 today! (although you have been acting 2 for months:P) The time has flown by and you have changed so much with everyday and are now your own little person... we joke and call you the terrorist.... because to say the least you can be a bit rough (biting, slapping... all the fun stuff:P)... but I thank God everyday for my still super snuggly baby girl and how funny and sweet you can be. You make me laugh everyday and I look forward to seeing you grow everyday! Your speech is adorable as is your singing, dancing and expressions... just priceless! I love today as much as I did the moment I held you in my arms. I love the second pic because it is like we are really "meeting" for the first time... and she looks almost shocked:P

This was about a week before you arrived

Exactly two years ago today, about 3 hours old

One year old!

Two years old!

Odd night last night and today...

2009-07-14T16:53:00.003-04:00

As some of you saw on facebook, Kaiya and I saw and were very close to being involved in a rather violent car accident. It happened directly in front of us in an intersection on of 161. Two cars smashed into each other going very fast and the car with passangers came directly toward us. I thought we were gonna get hit... but I did not say a word and they missed us. Everyone's airbag deployed and I could see the car with two passengers needed some help. They were right next to me, so I kept Kaiya in the car and got out to see if I could help as another person called 911. The driver was a girl and did not seemed injured until I noticed her legs... one was very broken and the other I was not even sure... then I noticed her passenger... he had an odd look on his face and blood was dripping from his hair... I then noticed his head had hit the windshield, even after his airbag deployed.... and then he just slumped over. His girlfriend was hysterical....I dont blame her at all, it was quite a sight. The other gentleman in the other car had gotten out of the car, he was hurt as well.... but his car had come to a rest in the middle of the intersection. The paramedics and all the other emergency vehicles came and I told them I was concerned about the passenger in the car. They said to sit down because my van was so close to the car he assumed we had been involved... we had come close - but we not at all. I told him I had not been looking when the accident happened so I was going to go ahead and leave. Kaiya and I pulled into the parking lot at Miejer and I got her out of her carseat and the both of us cried for like 10 minutes. She had seen a lot, including the collision and the state of the people next to us, she was scared and sad and had so many question and I just started sobbing along with her because of all the adrenaline draining out. It was kinda a big relazation about not only how close you can come to something terrible and walk away.... and also how much your children take in and notice about situations and what scares them and what they worry about. Poor Kaiya asked about the two people in the car for the rest of the night and then first thing when she was up this morning... and of course we go down stairs and her fish she had gotten for her birthday was floating on the top of the bowl *Sigh* toilet bowl funeral followed and she did great and we are getting her a new one tonight... I was not planning on telling her and switching them out:) But she is so freakin perceptive, she saw a towel over Dorothy's bowl and got a a glimps of her floating. More explaining. I know they say being a Mom is not always easy... but sometimes the hardest things to explain and make it through for them being out such a side of rescilliance and love in them that you cannot dwell on the memory for too long:) Thanks the Lord, we were fine last night although I had troube sleeping last night:( Time to move on!

The official people I know Baby Boom list... 2009-2010

2009-07-12T08:27:00.014-04:00

I cannot believe how many people I know have just had babies or are getting close! Here is the list starting with the born bubbahs all the way to newly out of the closet pregnant:P OK.... here we go!

Kelly had Savannah Avery on 6-15-09

Lisa had Nicholas on 6-27-09

Amy had Adrian John on 7-1-09

Carrie had Bryn Rebekah on 7-2-09

Lizzy had Craig Robert on 7-8-09

And now the pregnant list:

Brooke - Its a BOY! Coming FRIDAY:)

Amber - almst 34 weeks - with Emma AND Lucy:)

Angela - almost 31 weeks - team green!

Sarah - 30 weeks - Its a BOY!

Anna - 29 weeks - Its a BOY!

Darsi - 22 weeks - ITs A GIRL!

Sherri - 20 weeks... Gender ultrasound NEXT WEEK:)

Melissa - almost 14 weeks:)

Ally - 13 weeks:)

Beth - 11 weeks:)

Trudie - about 6 weeks

Vicki - about 6 weeks

I just KNOW I am forgetting someone because my mind is fried... but the second a remmeber.... I on it! Please let me know if you need me to edit any info of yours:)

Happy Birthday my sweet Hannah!!!

2009-07-07T22:16:00.001-04:00

You are amazing and I cannot wait to see how much more you become every year. I love you!

Hanni and Kaiya

2009-07-07T22:07:00.005-04:00

Their aweet friendship and adorable closeness is just priceless. Here are some pics just from the last few weeks:)

So I walked in the other day....

2009-07-07T22:03:00.002-04:00

and found my husband in the hammock with a naked woman.............

:P

A few pics of my sweeties together... acting like they like each other:P

2009-06-14T16:06:00.006-04:00

My little fishies... loving the pool:)

2009-06-14T16:03:00.005-04:00

So I was feeling lousy last weekend, so Preston took care of the girls for a few hours

2009-06-14T16:02:00.001-04:00

Nuff Said :P

Fun with the Replogles and the swing set:):)

2009-06-14T15:52:00.007-04:00

I love my sis (of course) and my neice Hannah and nephews Charlie and Austin. We always have a good time together even if there is drama... inevidable with 5 under 5! The other day Em came over for a visit with Aunt Eileen from New Jersey and Em and I decided to throw a party out of the blue with the 50's theme stuff I had for Cassie's party... we are now making it princess since Cass and Hannah are having it together this year:) Here are some pics! Oh and Cass could not stop kissing Autty!

Then here are a few from the other day when all the fave five were enjoying the swing set:

Fingerpaint "craps" with Aunt Nicole and Wes! And a warning....

2009-06-14T15:45:00.004-04:00

Nicole and I get together as often as we can and the other week, she brought over fingerpaints!! So we battened down the hatches and let them at it:) It was so cute and messy... but nothing got stained!!! WOOHOO. Thanks for always sharing with my divas:):)

And a warning... upon entering the craft store, check your cart for anything left behind that might be opened or you may end up with some unexpected body art... here is bedazzled Cassie :P

The many sleep positions of Cassie... she cracks me up....

2009-06-14T15:34:00.005-04:00

A child after my own heart. She can sleep anywhere and pretty much in any position... I cought her sleeping sitting bolt upright the other day, but my camera did not have batteries! Here she is:)